James B. Carey
Papers

Dates: 1945-1953.

The papers of James B. Carey are comprised of correspondence between Carey and three prominent
figures in the field of labor affairs, Philip M. Kaiser, John R. Steelman, and Maurice J.
Tobin. The collection consists of copies of original documents that are in the holdings of
the Labor History Archives at Wayne State University.

Size: Less than one-half of one linear foot (approximately 200 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: No donation of copyright was received with this collection. Documents created
by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are in the public domain.
Processed by: Harry Clark, Jr. (1969).
Updated by: Anna Luisa Geselbracht (2007) as part of the Truman Library Internship
Program. Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

The papers of James B. Carey are arranged in one series, and consist almost entirely of
correspondence between James B. Carey and other individuals prominent in the labor
field—specifically, Philip M. Kaiser, John R. Steelman, and Maurice J. Tobin. The originals
of these documents are housed in the Labor History Archives at Wayne State University in
Detroit, Michigan.

The correspondence between Carey and Assistant Secretary of Labor Philip M. Kaiser is mostly
concerned with international labor affairs: for instance, a Japanese request for American labor
representatives, and information about the qualifications and duties of American labor attachés
abroad. Many documents are enclosed as attachments: for instance, the minutes of committee
meetings and various memoranda. The Trade Union Advisory Committee on International Affairs,
of which Carey was a member, is the subject of much of the correspondence. Also included with
the Carey-Kaiser correspondence is a document entitled “Directory of U.S. Government Officials
Dealing With International Labor Affairs.”

The correspondence between Carey and John R. Steelman is considerably less voluminous, and
was written during Steelman's years as a private consultant, just before and after his service
in government as Assistant to President Truman. In one letter, Steelman informs Carey of his
new consulting business, devoted to mediating and resolving disputes between unions and
employers. Carey writes back to wish him success in his new endeavor.

The correspondence between Carey and Secretary of Labor Maurice J. Tobin is the most
extensive in the collection. Tobin and Carey often enclose meeting agendas, minutes, memoranda,
and reports such as “Recent Developments in the Labor Situation Abroad” with their communications.
Carey and Tobin are particularly concerned with international labor issues, and especially
the presence of American labor abroad. Discussion of labor issues in occupied Germany and
Japan is prominent, and Latin American labor is also a topic of interest. Also included in
the Tobin correspondence is a memorandum to the Director of International Labor Affairs for
the CIO, Michael T. Ross, entitled “New Labor Policies Affecting Workers in Private Industry
in Occupied Japan”; letters between Tobin and women’s labor leaders in the CIO; Carey’s
1953 letter of condolence to Tobin’s widow; and Carey’s note to Tobin thanking him for a
photograph of President Truman signing the Wage and Hour Act of 1949. The bulk of the
Carey correspondence consists of typewritten formal letters, along with a few telegrams.